Melbourne's Office Workers Answer The Call Of The West
The Age
Wednesday November 16, 2005
THE Paris end of Collins Street could be losing its cachet, with the strongest employment growth now in the western end of Melbourne's CBD.
Jones Lang LaSalle research revealed 33 per cent of all CBD workers and more than half of all white-collar employees were based in the city's western precinct.JLL Victorian research director Nerida Conisbee said the evolution of the Docklands over the past decade had contributed to an increase in the office population of almost 20,000 workers."The growth of the Docklands has meant that the centre of gravity has been pulled westwards, with the western core benefiting significantly from this development," Ms Conisbee said."In fact, 48,000 of the city's lawyers, accountants, brokers and agents work within walking distance of the Rialto building."The CBD's second most populous location was the civic district that bounds the Bourke Street Mall, which was dominated by 10,000 retail workers and a third of the city's hospitality employees.The eastern district, which includes the top end of Collins Street, recorded a modest rise in employment levels from 17,500 to 23,500 over the past 12 years.Ms Conisbee said while the precinct was still Melbourne's most prestigious location, a dearth of development sites had limited employment growth in the area.Melbourne's total CBD workforce increased from 152,000 in 1992 to almost 225,000 last year, according to Melbourne City Council data.White-collar employment levels recorded the sharpest rise and increased by 37,800 over the past 12 years.The CBD's rejuvenation as a dining and entertainment destination resulted in the number of hospitality staff doubling to more than 10,000. The number of CBD retailers also swelled by more than 3000 since 1992, with 15,000 employees.
© 2005 The Age